Vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft, as such, are not new. Two of the more successful VTOL aircraft are briefly described below:                1. The first VTOL aircraft uses a tilt-rotor design, wherein a tilt-rotor is fitted to the end of each wing. The tilt-rotor is movable between a vertical position, for providing lift for vertical takeoff, and a horizontal position, for providing forward thrust for normal flight. A successful example of the above is the US military's “Osprey” aircraft.        2. The second VTOL aircraft uses thrust augmentation and engine compressor bleed aft, in which thrust produced by turbofan/jet engines and engine compressor bleed air is redirected (i.e. augmented) downwardly to achieve vertical take-off. The most successful example of such a design is the British military's AV8 Harrier fighter jet.        
Yet a further example of a VTOL aircraft, which the VTOL of the present invention is more closely aligned to, is the Vanguard Omniplane, which was an experimental aircraft program which ran from 1959 to 1962. Vertical lift was achieved through two in-wing three bladed fans, and forward flight was achieved using a shrouded rear propeller. The aircraft also featured covers and closing louvers on the top and bottom of the wings, respectively, to close off the fans and thereby improve aerodynamics during forward flight. This aircraft had inherent stability and control problems, and during testing the aircraft was damaged and the project abandoned.
There remains a need for a VTOL aircraft that is inherently stable, and which has the hover, landing and vertical take-off performance of a helicopter and has the performance and range of a regional business jet.